The gym at Concordia College-Selma was a little bit cooler than the weather outside, Thursday, but that didn’t stop players from six different schools from working up a sweat.

Keith High School held its annual basketball camp Thursday, giving schools in and around Dallas County the chance to see new talent while working the veterans in a college camp atmosphere.

“We have basically taken this format from the University of Alabama’s camp,” Bears head coach Tommy Tisdale said. “The camp is great because it gives us a chance to look at young players that you normally wouldn’t get to see during the run of a season.”

The camp, which is usually held at Keith High School, had to move to Concordia due to the Bears’ gym floor being replaced.

The camp lasted from 10 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. and saw teams from Dallas County, Hale County, Tuscaloosa and even Birmingham come down to get game time competition against quality opponents.

“It gives you the chance to play a lot of players and move them around to different positions,” Tisdale said. “We (Keith High School) are lucky because Linden (High School) dropped out. So we decided to make two teams to fill everything out. That lets us see even more players play.”

For schools like Selma High School and Southside, the camp close to home was an easy solution to financial problems that can occur when traveling to similar camps.

“When you don’t have to pay for gas or hotels, it makes a big difference,” Selma head coach Woodie Jackson. “In the financial state we are in right now, you become hard pressed to get the work in the summer that you need.

“It’s like academics: if you don’t read in the summer, then you can’t be fully prepared for the year. Just like that, if you don’t get your workouts in during the summer, then you’re not going to play your best come basketball season.”